Pastis

(Credit: Photo by Irene LaGrasta)

Upload your photo »

If it weren't for Pastis, the Meatpacking District would still be an abandoned line of butcher shops littered with friendly trannies instead of today's trendy meet-market littered with, well, tranny lookalikes. Opened in 1999 by haute restaurateur Keith McNally, Pastis successfully re-created an old-fashioned Parisian brasserie and hasn’t seen a slow night since. The menu is classic McNally: savory but accessible with a relaxed, sophisticated flair—think steak frites with bearnaise, fish-and-chips with tartar sauce, and seared tuna Nicoise. Supersize dining emporiums have since invaded the Meatpacking District, but Pastis remains the original mothership of scenesters hope to land a place on Page 6.

See more:

French restaurants